The IR thinker features in-depth interviews with leading experts in international relations, foreign policy, and global affairs. The IR thinkeris an independent, non-partisan and non-aligned platform. It hosts a wide range of perspectives on international relations but does not endorse any political party, government or ideological position. Since its first episode in 2023, The IR thinkerhas produced more than 100 episodes as a pro bono initiative established by Martin Zubko, an international relations scholar and lecturer. Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.
Romania & Black Sea Energy Security - Roxana Caliminte | 2024 Episode 24
Season 2024 · Episode 24
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 • Duration 43:11
This episode of The IR thinker examines Romania’s energy security and its strategic role in the Black Sea region with Roxana Caliminte, focusing on how offshore resources, regional tensions and EU climate goals intersect. The discussion explores Romania’s Black Sea energy strategy, relations with neighbours such as Bulgaria and Turkey, investment and infrastructure challenges, and the trade-offs between economic gains, environmental protection and long-term sustainability.
Roxana Caliminte
Roxana Caliminte served as Deputy Secretary General of Gas Infrastructure Europe from 2017 to 2024, having previously worked for Romania’s gas transmission operator Transgaz on relations with EU institutions and government bodies. She has also been an adviser on international relations and economic affairs in the Romanian Parliament, is a visiting lecturer at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, and has been recognised by Consultancy Intelligence Publishing as one of the Top 30 Female Energy Market Analysts globally.
Content
00:00 - Introduction
01:52 - Romania’s Black Sea Energy Strategy: Current Vision and Goals
04:25 - Strengthening Romania’s Energy Security
06:50 - Impact of the Ukraine Conflict on Romania’s Energy Security
08:14 - Balancing Energy Opportunities and Russian Interests in the Black Sea
10:09 - Diplomatic Relations with Bulgaria and Turkey in the Context of Energy
11:19 - Joint Energy Initiatives with Bulgaria and Turkey
12:08 - Romania’s Role in the EU’s Energy Security and Diversification
15:09 - Attracting Foreign Investment: Regulatory and Policy Challenges
16:43 - Economic Gains vs Sustainability in Exploiting Black Sea Energy
18:40 - Public Opinion on Black Sea Energy Projects and the Energy Transition
20:57 - Consequences of Failing to Capitalise on Black Sea Energy Resources
22:21 - Key Theoretical Factors for Potential Failure in Romania’s Energy Projects
23:44 - Technological Innovations Required for Deepwater Extraction in the Black Sea
25:23 - Infrastructure Upgrades Needed for Monetising Black Sea Energy Resources
27:42 - International Interest in Developing Black Sea Energy Projects
28:41 - Skilled Labour Requirements for Romania’s Energy Sector
30:06 - Balancing Environmental Protection and Energy Exploitation
33:13 - Impact of Energy Projects on Romania’s Fisheries and Tourism Sectors
35:06 - Meeting EU Energy and Climate Goals Through Black Sea Resources
38:13 - Government and Opposition Perspectives on Romania’s Energy Transition
40:37 - Potential Research Areas in Romania’s Energy Strategy and Policy
This episode of The IR thinker traces the evolution of arms control from its Cold War origins to today’s challenges of governing rapidly advancing weapons technologies, in conversation with Dr Andrew Reddie. The discussion examines what makes arms control treaties work in practice, how non state actors and rising powers shape regimes, the implications of cases such as New START and the INF Treaty, and emerging ideas for regulating new nuclear and high tech weapons.
Andrew Reddie
Dr Andrew Reddie is Associate Research Professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder of the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab. His research sits at the intersection of technology, politics and security, focusing on how innovations in nuclear weapons, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence are reshaping international order and the governance of strategic weapons.
02:16 - Evolution of Arms Control: From the Cold War to Technological Governance
05:32 - Weapons Under Current Arms Control Regimes
US Energy Security and Transition - Paul Saunders | 2024 Episode 14
Season 2024 · Episode 14
Monday, July 15, 2024 • Duration 52:49
This episode of The IR thinker examines the United States’ dependence on fossil fuels and its contested path towards a green energy transition with Paul Saunders, focusing on the role of subsidies, regulatory frameworks and partisan politics in shaping policy choices. The discussion explores trends in renewable energy investment, the modernisation of the electricity grid, energy storage, and the continuing significance of nuclear power in balancing fossil fuels and renewables at home and abroad.
Paul Saunders
Paul Saunders is President of the Center for the National Interest and a member of its board of directors, as well as Senior Advisor at the Energy Innovation Reform Project, where he previously served as President. His expertise spans United States foreign and security policy, energy security and climate change, and relations with Russia, Japan and South Korea; he served as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs in the George W. Bush administration, with responsibility for transnational issues including energy and climate, and has long experience in congressional and think tank policy advising.
India-China Relations - Jagannath Panda | 2024 Episode 13
Season 2024 · Episode 13
Thursday, June 20, 2024 • Duration 34:17
This episode of The IR thinker examines the shifting dynamics of India–China relations with Dr Jagannath Panda, focusing on historical border tensions such as the Galwan Valley clashes, China’s naval expansion in the Indian Ocean and India’s military and diplomatic responses. The conversation also considers India’s alternatives to the Belt and Road Initiative, energy security, diaspora politics, the impact of China–Pakistan ties and the limits of existing scholarship on this pivotal relationship.
Jagannath Panda
Dr Jagannath Panda is a Senior Fellow at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies and Head of the Stockholm Centre for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs at the Institute for Security and Development Policy in Sweden, as well as a professor at the University of Warsaw. A leading specialist on Indo-Pacific affairs, his research focuses on India’s relations with major Indo-Pacific powers, EU–India relations and European connectivity and maritime initiatives in the region. He also holds research affiliations in Japan and Australia and serves as Series Editor for Routledge Studies on Think Asia and as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Asian Public Policy.
US-China Energy Dynamics & Solar Industry - Quill Robinson | 2024 Episode 12
Season 2024 · Episode 12
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 • Duration 01:03:12
This episode of The IR thinker explores United States–China energy relations through the lens of the solar industry, examining how Chinese energy exports, tariffs and technological advances intersect with United States energy security and the global energy transition. The discussion with Quill Robinson considers environmental concerns around imported technologies, the role of international institutions and energy diplomacy, and emerging research agendas in this evolving field.
Quill Robinson
Quill Robinson is a senior programme manager and associate fellow with the Energy Security and Climate Change Programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, and a senior adviser with ConservAmerica. He previously served as vice president of government affairs at the American Conservation Coalition. Quill holds a BA in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Washington and an MA in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
02:47 - Chinese Energy Exports and Shifting Energy Geography
06:41 - US Energy Security and Its Link to China
09:32 - US Tariffs on Solar vs Investment in Solar Industry
11:24 - Competitiveness of the US Solar Industry
14:36 - US Support for Domestic Solar Panel Production
16:59 - Environmental Concerns about Imported Solar Panels
19:35 - Positive Implications of Sino-US Solar Panel Tariff Clash
Chinese Theories of International Relations - Ferran Pérez Mena | 2024 Episode 11
Season 2024 · Episode 11
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 • Duration 01:03:57
This episode of The IR thinker examines the main contemporary schools of Chinese international relations theory with Dr Ferran Pérez Mena, focusing in particular on the Shanghai and Tsinghua schools, their theoretical foundations, key concepts such as moral realism and Chinese exceptionalism, and the ways in which they draw on traditional Chinese philosophy. The discussion explores how these ideas shape Chinese debates on economic statecraft, soft power, security and civilisational identity, and considers what this means for the future direction of China’s foreign policy and IR scholarship.
Ferran Pérez Mena
Dr Ferran Pérez Mena is Assistant Professor in International Relations of East Asia in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University in the United Kingdom. His research focuses on transnational connections between Chinese and Western non state actors, the formation of non Western transnational elite networks, and the relationship between Chinese IR scholars, the Chinese state and the development of Chinese ideas about world politics and international order.
02:41 - Major Contemporary Schools of Thought in Chinese International Relations
04:47 - Importance of Shanghai and Tsinghua Universities
05:45 - Acceptance of the Shanghai School of IR in China
Geopolitics of the Pacific Islands and Fiji - Lorenz Gonschor | 2024 Episode 10
Season 2024 · Episode 10
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 • Duration 01:02:20
This episode of The IR thinker examines the geopolitics of the Pacific Islands with Dr Lorenz Gonschor, focusing on Australia’s security role, the strategic interests of major powers such as the United States, China and the European Union (especially France), and the growing presence of emerging actors including India and Indonesia. The conversation explores the history and challenges of the Pacific Islands Forum, Russia’s limited involvement, economic diplomacy and aid dependence, the politics of climate change and energy security, and Fiji’s leadership and constraints in regional and global affairs.
Lorenz Gonschor
Dr Lorenz Gonschor is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Affairs in the School of Law and Social Sciences at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. His research covers historical and contemporary governance and politics in Oceania, with a particular interest in the evolution of Pacific regionalism since the nineteenth century. He is also actively engaged in debates on decolonisation in territories such as French Polynesia, Rapa Nui and Norfolk Island.
Content
00:00 - Introduction
01:57 - Australia’s Role in Security Dynamics
04:37 - Geography of the Pacific Islands
07:49 - Perception of Australia as a Western Power
08:54 - Strategic Interests of Major Powers (Australia, USA, China)
12:34 - The Complex Position of the European Union (France)
21:56 - The Pacific Islands Forum: Overview and Functions
25:20 - Historical Challenges Faced by the Pacific Islands Forum
Circular Economy in International Relations - Patrick Schröder | 2024 Episode 9
Season 2024 · Episode 9
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 • Duration 01:08:49
This episode of The IR thinker explores the circular economy as a subject of international politics, examining how it is defined, what goals it pursues and how it fits within global economic and trade frameworks. In conversation with Dr Patrick Schröder, we discuss international standards, bilateral agreements, corporate incentives, implementation failures, links to the energy transition and the geopolitical and ethical implications of circular economy initiatives, including in the Global South.
Patrick Schröder
Dr Patrick Schröder is a Senior Research Fellow in the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House in London. His work focuses on the global transition to an inclusive circular economy, with particular emphasis on international policy coordination, investment needs, the role of trade and the contribution of circular practices to the Sustainable Development Goals.
10:48 - Circular Economy in International Economic Frameworks
Islamic State Khurasan - Giuliano Bifolchi | 2024 Episode 8
Season 2024 · Episode 8
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 • Duration 01:00:52
This episode of The IR thinker examines the emergence and evolution of Islamic State – Khurasan Province (IS-Khurasan), exploring its origins, territorial framing, strategic goals and relations with the Taliban and local communities. The discussion with Dr Giuliano Bifolchi looks at recruitment patterns, financing, cyber activities and the role of wider geopolitical tensions and great-power competition in shaping the group’s trajectory.
Giuliano Bifolchi
Giuliano Bifolchi is an intelligence and geopolitics specialist with more than a decade of experience in strategic consulting, due diligence and open-source intelligence. He is Professor of Web Intelligence and Open Source Intelligence at the European Forensic Institute and serves as Senior Intelligence Analyst at SpecialEurasia.
01:38 - Differentiating Khurasan from the Islamic State Wilayat Khurasan (IS-Khurasan)
04:49 - Origins and Establishment of IS-Khurasan
Chemical and Biological Weapons - Brett Edwards | 2024 Episode 7
Season 2024 · Episode 7
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 • Duration 01:01:10
This episode of The IR thinker explores the history, present landscape and future risks of chemical and biological weapons with Dr Brett Edwards, tracing their evolution from early use to contemporary arsenals and dual-use technologies. The discussion examines verification and disarmament, how these weapons feature in national defence planning, the ethical and legal debates surrounding them, international control regimes and the specific concerns raised in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine.
Brett Edwards
Dr Brett Edwards is a Senior Lecturer in Security and Public Policy at the University of Bath. His research sits at the intersection of security, non-proliferation and responsible innovation, with a particular focus on chemical and biological weapons disarmament and non-proliferation.
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